100 ways to make money

The words ‘rich’ and ‘student’ aren’t often uttered in the same sentence. With costs of University fees, accommodation, maintenance and beer all rising, it’s difficult to stay afloat without the help of money from parents, grants and loans. In light of this, we’ve compiled a list of 99 top tips to make you money while you study. These stretch from the simple - get a part-time job, to the slightly ridiculous - sell your hair. Not all of these will be right for you, but we hope you can pick out some tips to break even.

You gotta get rich or die tryin'...

1. Sell your own recipes

Even busy students have to eat, so why not get paid to write-up the recipes for the crazy meals you’ve concocted after you’ve come home from Oceana? If you've got lots of unusual and easy to follow recipes try sending them on to websites like Student Eats, it will pay you £5 for every recipe that's published on the site. Tasty.

2. Hit the Charity shops

Are you always finding hidden gems in your local charity shop? Try buying high quality designer labels (if you can find them!) and then selling them on on eBay or Etsy. Just watch out for any suspicious smells and stains, they won’t sell well.

It’s worth hitting the shops in the ‘fancier’ areas of your town or city. Imagine coming across the treasure trove of Kate Moss’ old wardrobe…

3. Get cashback on your shopping

If you're not using a cashback site - you're missing out on making some serious cash. We like TopCashBack and Quidco as they give you decent cashback rates and are free to use (stay away from sit­es you have to pay to use).

The sites have the majority of big brands on them, so search for the retailer and click through via its site and then shop as normal. Every time someone does this, the cashback site makes commission from the retailer, a percentage of which is then passed on to you as 'earnings'. The average Quidco user saves £280 a year. If you're still confused, have a look at our guide to Cashback.

4. Be a Wombler!

Ever got a voucher for cash off your next shop at the supermarket? Lots of people don’t realise there is money to be made and leave their receipts at the till or in trolleys for anyone to find.

That’s where wombling comes in. Scour the car park or the till area to find these golden receipts and don’t worry - it is legal. See our guide for more help on how to womble.

SMS fan Stuart got £23 worth of shopping for £1.50 using this technique.

5. Collect coupons for your shopping

Coupons have a bit of a bad reputation. It's easy to think it’s only old ladies that use them to get 10p off a pint of milk. However, with a little know-how you can get items for 75%+ off and even for free.

The key to really getting a bargain, or even a freebie, is by doubling the discounts. Look out for coupons, and then check sites like MySupermarket to see where products are on offer. ,For example, at the time of writing there’s a coupon out there for £1 off Warburton’s wholemeal bread, which has been discounted to 79p in most supermarkets, so you can get it for free.

Coupons are in magazines, newspapers – everywhere. Our favourite online sources are SuperSavvyMe and Caring Everyday. Use them to make your supermarket shop cheaper, but don’t let them tempt you to buy something you might not have ordinarily!

6. Join customer rewards programs

Sign up to loyalty schemes to get rewards after you’ve done your shopping. At Waitrose you’ll get a free tea or coffee when you spend with a MyWaitrose card, but you’ll need to go up to the customer service desk, so they can check you have bought items.

Tesco will send out offers every month to Clubcard users. Some of these will be cash coupons; other times it’s a certain number of points, which can be collected to used to buy lots of things from fuel to theme park vouchers.

7. Dig out those old gift cards

Sure you sulked when your Gran gave you a gift card for a place you never shop, but it might come in handy (now you’re skint). Many gift cards have long expiration dates, so dig out those old birthday cards and see what you can find. Most don’t expire for a year or two after they’ve been set-up, so you could be on to a winner.

You could try flogging them to friends and family who might be more interested in them or if you really hate the store.

8. Return old purchases or gifts

Re-sort through your wardrobes to find clothes or shoes still with tags on. If you have got no intention of wearing them, take them back to the shop to get a refund or a credit note. Even if you don’t have the receipt and it is months later, it’s still worth a shot.

9. Complaining to companies to get freebies

Didn’t enjoy your meal or the service at a restaurant? Found someone else’s hair in your hotel bed after you checked in? Take to social media and COMPLAIN! If something’s written publicly you’re much more likely to get a quick response. Freebies could be anything from vouchers, to a free meal next time you visit. It’s not always guaranteed to work though. Your best bet is to be as specific as possible by including the time and the location of the meal/stay that you’re not happy with.

10. Complimenting companies to get freebies

We don’t like to focus on the negatives, so make sure you balance out the complaints with compliments. Companies love to know what they’re doing right as much as what they might be doing wrong. Enjoyed your meal? Let them know. Send a tweet or write a message on their Facebook page. Or you can do it the old-fashioned way and say it face-to-face. You never know, you might be rewarded next time you visit.

11. Flyering and promotions

If you can brave the cold and rain, why not join a promo team at uni or for a local club. The work is relatively painless and there are nice perks to the job like free club entry or a small wage.

12. Work behind the bar or in the cloakroom

A way to fast-track your way into the club is to get a job there. You can earn a decent wage working behind the bar or in the cloakrooms and you’ll be able to join your mates once you clock off.

Jobs behind the bar in the student union are especially sought after, as they’ll usually be sympathetic to your student needs when it comes to taking time off to revise or do coursework. As soon as the new school years starts, get your CV in there to replace the leavers who’ll have graduated.

13. Get paid to buy drinks

Much like mystery shopping, websites like Serve Legal, allow 18-19 year olds to sign up to anonymously buy alcohol in certain retailers (and pubs)to see if they are asked for identification. The site also calls you to try and buy tobacco, lottery tickets and bets in betting shops – anything that could require you to show ID.

You’ll need to buy the products with your own money (but you decide how much you want to spend on a visit), so you can keep, or drink, whatever you purchase. They pay is anywhere between £6 and £10 per visit. More expensive items, like cigarettes, will be worth more, as will visits to pubs or bars after midnight. It’s up to you how many visits you want to do per day/week, but this could be a nice little earner. Get started before you hit your 20th birthday.

14. Offer lifts to the club

If you have a car, offer to give lifts on busy “nights out” like Halloween or New Year's Eve. If you’re strict on prices you can make quite a bit of money and your friends will save on taxis – just make sure nobody starts chundering…

15. Get free soft drinks as designated driver

Lots of clubs and pubs offer free soft drinks to those brave enough to be designated drivers. They might not always advertise this, but it’s worth asking to save a few quid.

16. Take promo photos/videos for clubs

If you’re always the one snapping photos of your friends having a wild night out, why not get paid for it? Clubs are often looking for someone to regularly attend and snap photos of their events. If you’re a regular gig-goer, you might be able to sell the snaps on to a local newspaper or magazine.

17. Rent out your car

To your friends, family or neighbours - but make sure you trust them. Everyone else will need to be covered by the insurance too.

18. Refer your friends for taxis

Get £10 off your next ride when your friend signs up using your Uber code. What’s best is they’ll get a tenner off their journey too.

Already signed up to Uber? We've got an exclusive code for £10 free credit with Kabbee. Enter the code SMS10 on the app, before Tue 30 Jun to get your credit.

19. Be the festival hero

Release your inner del-boy and make yourself some serious cash.

Stock up on all the kit that everyone else is likely to forget - ponchos, chargers, plastic plates etc. You can get these items at your local Poundland, for a quid, have a look at its festival section. You can then sell them on at the festival (for a tidy profit).

When it’s been raining heavily for three days straight and there’s more mud than grass, you’ll be surprised what the unprepared will pay for a plastic poncho. Just imagine you’re on The Apprentice and get selling.

20. Hit the Amazon marketplace

Amazon isn’t just all about shopping; many are now attracted to the site because of its online marketplace. It’s more likely that items in better nick will sell well, but don’t let this deter you.

You’ll also have to upload and post each item separately. Make sure you buy proof of postage because you can’t always trust that people will be honest! Seller fees are incorporated into the price of selling your items, so you don’t have to hand over any money to Amazon. You can sell pretty much anything on there, but we reckon it’s best for books, DVDs and things that will be easy (and cheap) to post.

21. List your stuff on eBay

Unlike Amazon, eBay lets users bid on your item, meaning the price can go way up… but, it could also mean the price could stay way down. It’s worth checking out the prohibited items list to see what you can and can’t sell.

There are charges for posting your items, but you can list up to 20 items for free per month, so to keep costs down stay within this limit. You’ll also pay a final value fee of 10% if your item sells.

Stuck for items to sell? Crafters are always on the look out for products, so that bottle of wine a night habit you picked up could become useful if you saved all the corks. They’re super cheap to ship.

22. Sell your CDs and DVDs

Remember the days when you’d fork out £9.99 for the latest top 40 release? All the forgotten CDs and DVDs back home are still worth money. Sites like Music Magpie have apps that turn your phone’s camera into a barcode scanner, making it ridiculously easy to upload items to sell. It also has a free courier service to come and pick up all your stuff. You’ll have to upload at least £5 worth of items (or 10 items, no matter the cost) to qualify for the service.

Items like CDs and DVDs won’t turn around much profit (we’re talking a few pounds per item), but you’ll be decluttering your room and getting rid of stuff you probably never listen to or watch anyway.

23. Get paid to walk

If you have Fitbit or other activity tracker, you can connect it to the Bounts app. It's completely free (there is a paying option though, if you wanted extra perks) and available on Android and Apple. Really basically, it turns your tracked activities into points, which then you convert into actual cash (it sends you gift vouchers to your door). Realistically, it's going to take you a while to build up points (you're not getting £50 to your door in a coupe of weeks) but it is money for nothing.

24. Recycle old mobiles/iPods

If you’ve got an old mobile phone or an iPod hanging around, sell it! Even if it’s damaged or not working, there are still sites like Mazuma mobile out there that will buy it from you and most will send a prepaid envelope making the process very easy.

Shop around when you’re looking who to sell it to, there are lots of companies out there

25. Sell your university textbooks

We know that taking a course in Renaissance Art seemed like an interesting idea in your first year, but if you’re never going to touch that textbook again, get rid of it. Michelangelo would be disappointed if you didn’t.

Some university libraries or bookshops will offer to take them all off your hands, or look online at sites like Uni list. Don’t underestimate the power of your University notice boards either, stick up a list of books you don’t need.

26. Sell your university notes

Attended all the lectures and smashed the exams because of your impeccable note-taking skills? Help others by selling them on. Sites like Note Sale let you upload your notes and then others can search for the topic and choose to buy them.

All you need to do is scan in the notes, select the price you want to sell them for and you’re all set. You’ll get paid each time someone purchases the notes and it’s totally free to upload.

27. Rent your parking space at university

Although many students don’t have cars, lots of students’ houses, or even halls, come with designated parking spots. You can earn masses, especially if you live near a train station or airport. Watch out for commission fees and costs for listing your space. Check out Your Parking Space to list your space for free.

If you are a tenant, we would recommend checking with your landlord first. You might also want to check your insurance policy, as you may not be covered for any potential damage to the car.

28. Sell at car boot sales

Got a load of old junk you want rid of? Get up early (yep, still dark early) and flog it at a car boot sale. You don’t even need to have a car to sell anything (a blanket will do), but there is normally a fee of about a tenner.

Be careful of other, more seasoned car boot sale’ers. Some might try and snap up your stuff at a bargain price before buying opens, then sell it on for a mark-up on their stall.

29. Try Matched Betting

You may be thinking betting and making money is a mugs game, but matched betting is different. By using bonuses from bookmakers, you can lock in risk free profits. It's been featured in the Guardian, Telegraph & Huffington post as a great way to earn some quick cash. Check out Yesbets, for more information and get started in 15 minutes.

30. Sell your photos

It’s possible to sell your photos to stock image sites, like Fotolia. Just a simple Google search will turn up hundreds of results. Make sure you read the terms and conditions before you sell them and think hard before you make your decision, because once you’ve sold the photos they can be distributed by anyone.

How much you earn depends on how many people download your images – so make sure they’re high quality.

31. Sell your hair

Got Rapunzel’s locks, but are feeling the Britney Spears 2007 look? Well… you could sell your hair if you’re thinking about getting the chop.

Really think about this one, as you’ll have to cut off A LOT to get a decent amount of money out of it. We’ve seen sites advertising as little as £15 for 10 inches of hair – that’s a lot of hair!

32. Dig out your old collectables

Here at Student Money Saver, we’re kids of the 90’s, so obviously obsessed with Beanie Baby bears. Unfortunately, our collections went to the local charity shop bin, and looking online now some of the bears could have gone for 4-5 times the price they were bought for. The same goes for Lego and other collectables.

Once products go out of production the price rockets. So get up into your parents attics and search for all things Polly Pocket, Cabbage Patch and Ninja Turtles based.

33. Keep it in the family

Talk to your family to see if there’s anything they want you to get rid of for them. Lots of parents and grandparents still aren’t internet-savvy, so putting items on eBay or Gumtree could be a massive help to them - and they’ll probably let you keep some of the profits.

34. Sell your free samples on eBay

Magazines are often giving away freebies of sample beauty products on the cover. Why not collect them and stick them on eBay for a profit? Many magazines offer freebies when you sign up for an annual pass (Women’s Health offered a free Tangle Teezer, normally £8), so theoretically you could sign up and then cancel down the line. But watch out for T&Cs where they reserve the right to charge you for the gift.

35. Sell your scrap metal

It’s a long shot, but if you’ve got any scrap metal hanging around your student digs - sell it on to a local yard and you could be cashing in.

36. Sell your sperm

You could earn up to £250 per go. But, there’s a big catch... This is a long term investment, you’ll be required to attend two to three times a week and you’ll have to refrain from ‘going’ when you’re not there.

There are also quite a few criteria that need to be met. You need to be healthy, male and between 18 and 41 years old (some centres may restrict this to 35 year olds). You’ll be asked about your family’s medical history, your drug intake, any tattoos you may have (infections are a big no-no) and, obviously, your sex life. You’ll be tested for diseases and most applicants are dismissed before they’ve even had the chance to, ahem, rub one out.

There’s a limit of ten births through one applicants sperm and there is a chance that the donor-conceived individual can contact you. There’s no legal or financial commitment to the donor and the individual, but once they reach the age of 18 they are able to request information about their donor parent. So bear that in mind.

37. eBay trend spotting and selling

If you’re good at following trends and not adverse to queuing outside the Disney store before it opens each morning, you could make a great eBay’er. That’s what our editor did when she realised that the Frozen’s Elsa dresses were selling like hotcakes. She picked up a few dresses after hitting the shop as it opened one morning and as an experiment stuck them on eBay with a pretty big mark-up. They were gone within the hour.

This works really well with products from the Disney catalogue, especially in the run-up to Christmas. But tech items could also be a good bet. You could be quids in if you’ve managed to get your hands on the latest Apple product just after launch.

38. Trade in empty ink cartridges for cash

Never throw away empty printer cartridges; they could be worth a few quid! Check out sites like ink2cash who will collect your cartridges and toners for free (you might have to collect a certain number first). ome empties fetch £2.75. You’ll get paid much, much more for any cartridges or toners that are full up – so have a look around the house for any abandoned printers.

38. Plant and sell seeds

If you’ve got green fingers and a bit, ok a-lot, of time to wait, why not plant your own seeds and grow vegetable plants? You can pick up packs of seeds very cheaply (we’re talking under a quid here). We’ve even managed to get packets for free, if you look hard enough you can find them anywhere – online, on the covers of magazines, we even got some in an Amazon delivery. You’ll get a good few plants out of this but you will need to make sure you follow the growing instructions carefully.

Garden centres will already get theirs for very cheaply, but neighbours and family might be interested in your plants - stick up a sign on Gumtree/local newsagents. It might also be possible to sell what you’ve grown on the plants. Produce like Avocados are a good bet – they’re ‘in’ at the moment and pretty expensive when you buy them in the supermarket. Why not grow them and sell them onto your mates? Even if you don’t end up selling them on, you can eat what you grow and save money that way.

39. Upcycle your furniture

Students moving out are quite keen to get rid of their old furniture, maybe even for free if they’re in a big hurry. This is your opportunity to swoop in and take it off their hands. Invest in some decent paint or varnish and turn that furniture into something that’s sellable (B&Q gives away DIY items to some people, so see if you're eligible)... You might be able to make a decent return. Even products that look old can be sold on; vintage is in after all.

40. Sell your gold

You’ve seen the adverts on TV, but we wouldn’t suggest going online as your first port of call. If you do happen to have any gold or jewellery lying around it might be worth taking it to a few pawnshops to get the value confirmed before you part with it.

41. Get crafty on Etsy

Etsy is an online marketplace selling millions of products. If you’re talented at making jewellery or designing posters why not stick them up on the site for people across the world to buy?

What you earn is dependent on how much stock you put up and how much you retail it for. You’ll need to take into consideration charges; it’s $0.20 to list an item.

42. Sell your used items on Gumtree

Gumtree is another marketplace fantastic for used goods. Recent estimates show that the average household has £450 worth of stuff lying around (although it’s likely student households will be a bit less!). Unlike eBay, which charges you to list items and takes a slice of the profits, Gumtree is completely free to use.

You will have to meet up with the buyer and potentially drop off items, so make sure you’re careful!

43. Sponsored tweets (if you have a following)

If you’ve got a large following on Twitter, why not make the most out of it by making some cash? Sponsored tweets are, very basically, writing something about a certain product or service. Some sites like Sponsored tweets just need you to have 50 followers and 100 tweets, most casual users will have this, or more, so get cracking. You can even select which ads you want to promote, making them more applicable to your audience and therefore more clickable.

Other sites like Rev Twt do a similar job. But your success and potential earnings are more dependent on your influence over your followers and how many followers you have. But, it’s always worth a shot. Check reviews first, some of the ad sites have some sketchy feedback.

44. Get affiliated

If you’ve got a big enough following on social media, it’s possible to team up with affiliate sites (see Commission Junction and Rakuten and you can get paid per click. These sites list a hundreds of networks, which you can apply to separately ensuring that they’re relevant to your audience. You don’t necessarily have to pay to join the networks, but they will take a cut.

45. Make money selling virtual items

In 2007 a character in the popular video game World of Warcraft was sold for $9,000. Real dollars. It’s not uncommon to see virtual weapons or characters listed on eBay or other selling sites and they are in high demand and can go for a high price. There is a big but though. Selling items like this breaches the games terms of use and accounts will be shut down because of this. The higher the price the more likely it’ll be picked up on. Whether it’s worth the risk is up to you.

46. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a quick and easy to make money. Perform tasks like browsing the net, watching videos, playing games and filling surveys. The immediate reward won’t be huge, but the tasks don’t require a lot of effort.

Payments are made to you via Paypal or choose from a list of vouchers and giftcards, including Amazon and Starbucks. SMS fan Sarah loves the site, “After I started last year I made £65 in two months”.

47. Answer online surveys

A great way to make some extra cash is to fill out online surveys in your spare time. Yes, it’s time consuming and the gains aren’t big to begin with (the most we’ve seen is £3 per survey), but if you spend a lot of time on your laptop anyway, you might as well try it.

You can also get cashback without actually buying anything, see Quidco’s free cashback. You also make money by filling out surveys. They currently have 105,000 members signed up to this, so get involved! Most average about 70p per survey.

48. Set up your own YouTube channel

If you have something to say, why not create a YouTube channel - there will always be people out there who are interested, no matter how specific. If you’re lucky and make it big, you can make a fortune. Big stars like Zoella and Pointlessblog make a living from posting their videos online.

The aim is to become a YouTube Partner. This is not only a means for expanding your potential earnings, but it also lets you into the exclusive club of partners that can help improve and grow your channel. There are certain criteria that may catch you out – make sure you’re not using music in your videos that you don’t own the copyrights to!

Make sure you turn on adverts and depending on how many people view and click on them, your channel could be raking in the pounds as well as the views.

49. Take part in competitions

Check forums, sign up for newsletters, re-tweet or just “like and share” and you could be in with a shot of winning lots of goodies. Even if you don’t want or need them, you could just stick them on eBay afterwards - but it’s probably best you don’t advertise this!

First of all, we’d recommend setting up a new email address to use – things can get spammy. Maybe even a new Twitter profile to avoid destroying your followers’ timelines with your retweets! Follow comping pages – MoneySavingExpert’s comping forum board has loads to choose from.

50. Free lottery tickets

Ever heard of Free Postcode Lottery? If you haven’t, you need to. Enter your postcode and email onto the website to subscribe and check back at midday each day to see if your postcode has come up. The prize pot is £150 each day, if someone misses his or her postcode the jackpot will rollover to the next day – the highest we saw was £800. Save the website in your bookmarks and it will become habit to check every day. It might also be a good idea to get a friend to check if you’re on holiday, as we’d be gutted if we missed out.

Other sites like this include Lucky Phone. Enter your mobile number (or you can be assigned random numbers) and if your combination comes up you’ll win a tenner. Easy money just for checking a website once a day.

51. Write and publish a kindle book

Students are a creative and interesting bunch and nearly all of you will have a story to tell (it may or may not be a drunken one). Everyone has an idea for a novel - so why not get yours out there? It takes less than five minutes to get your book published on Amazon (although it takes a bit longer to write) and you could keep up to 70% off the profits. Move over EL James!

52. Write reviews

Students spend a lot of time online and your opinions are valuable. Sites like Dooyoo pay you to review products. You won’t get paid much, but the reviews don’t have to be long, normally 150+ words. You’re likely to make around 50p per review, you’ll also get paid when people read your reviews. When you hit £20, you can turn it into an Amazon voucher. If you just want cold, hard cash, you’ll need to hit £50.

53. Become a Field Agent

Apps like Field Agent are a brilliant way to make cash. You’re given task, which are usually checking prices in store, taking photos of products and writing reviews, all from your iPhone. Each job can earn you anywhere between $2-$12.

54. Kickstarter

Did you read about the American student who started a Kickstarter to raise $10 to make a potato salad? It went viral and he ended up raising $55,439. Seriously.

Kickstarter is a great way for companies or individuals to raise money for their cause/event/project. Share you campaign online and give contributors reasons to back you. Most offer different ‘prizes’ depending on how much backers invest, things like t-shirts or signed photos. This is a great way to get money into your business, but you need to be clear why people should back you and what they’ll get in return.

55. Get paid to click links

This is possible via a little browser add-on call Qmee. Just download it from its website, enter a search as normal on Google (or Bing, but who are we kidding), or even on shopping sites such as Amazon or eBay, and click on any of the links that appear on the left hand side with the little monetary values next to them, which indicate how much you will be paid for that click. Your Qmee account balance updates every time you earn money, which can then be emptied into a PayPal account or donated to charity.

There’s no need to wait around for 90 days or build up a certain amount, you can just take the money out straight away. So, if you earn £1, you can have it in your PayPal account within five minutes.

56. Get a scholarship

This will differ from university to university. It’s likely to come in the form of a grant, rather than cold hard cash. But still – money! Check the university website when you’re applying to see if there’s anything applicable to you, there are hundreds to choose from. Our favourite was the Vegetarian Charity offer £500 to support a vegan or vegetarian through their studies.

57. Hardship grant

There are lots of people who might be eligible to a government hardship grant and not even realise. The exact amount and terms will depend upon your university. Previous grants have been given to students with children, those from low-income families, those with disabilities and mature students with existing financial commitments. Each situation is taken on a case-by-case basis, so it’s difficult to put a figure out there, and you’ll need to provide your university with a copy of your letter from student finance and details of your outgoings like rent. See the full info on Gov.uk.

58. Donate old clothes for cash

As well as taking your old clothes to clothing banks, it is possible to trade them in for cash. H&M offer a scheme where you’ll get a £5 voucher for every bag of clothes or textiles that you hand in. It’s all part of an incentive to stop material ending up in landfill when it could be properly recycled.

59. Reclaim your lost assets

Track down your old bank accounts and trawl through your statements, you could be missing money!

See the site My Lost Account if you think there’s a chance you could have lost track of an old bank account. It’s a legitimate service run by the British Bankers’ Association, the Building Societies Association and National Savings & Investments. They have a tool that’s used to find your lost savings and current accounts and it’s pretty easy to use (if you can remember your account details!). They estimated there’s around £500 million in lost assets out there, so it’s definitely worth a shot!

60. Check if you're due for a tax rebate

Did you know that if you’ve worked at some point in the last year, there’s a 90% chance the government owe you some cash back. You’re allowed to earn £10,600 before you’re taxed, so if you’re only working weekends or after University you probably haven’t gone over that.

Getting your tax money back is free and pretty straightforward, we’ve even written a guide to help you out!

61. Switch your bank account

Lots of bank accounts have incentives to join them. M&S Bank offers £100 to spend in stores for newbies and First Direct regularly ups its normal £100 switch incentive to £125; so keep your eyes peeled. You’ll need to have a minimum monthly income into the account and they normally don’t favour those who are often overdrawn, so make sure you do your own research before signing up.

62. Check your Council tax band

Students in full time education are not required to pay council tax, so make sure you’re not. When you move out of student halls (which are automatically exempt) you’re required to prove your student status by sending a certified letter by your university to the local authority.

63. Get a summer holiday TV License refund

Students that leave their term time address during the summer break can apply for a refund (normally around £37). There is a catch - the license needs to be valid for another three months (so for those that have signed up in September/October).

64. Rent a room on airbnb

If your flatmate has gone away for the summer, why not rent out their room on airbnb? Make sure you check with them and your landlord first!

Listing the room or apartment is free, but you’ll need to pay a 3% service fee when you confirm a reservation. If you have a student flat next to where a big event is happening (Wimbledon during the tennis), you can make hundreds on a tiny room because you’re able to set your own price.

65. Trade in bottles for cash

This works really well if you’re at a festivals and big sporting events – you’ll get paid around £1 for each cup you hand in at Twickenham stadium. But, you can also trade in all the cans you drink at home, whether it’s Carlsberg or Coca Cola. You’ll need to recycle A LOT to make some cash; we’re talking hundreds of cans here. But if you’ve got them piling up in the corner of your kitchen anyway, why not get rid of them. See Think Cans to find a recycling point near you.

66. Tutor other students

You’ve spent months or years learning about a subject, so why not offer your skills to others and become a private tutor? You can earn up to £80 an hour (especially if you’re a graduate with knowledge of maths or science). You can teach from your home, in the library, via Skype, or go to the student’s home (factor in travel costs if you do this).

It might be worth paying to get a DBS check to get ahead of the pack (previously called CRB check). It’s £26 and checks against any previous convictions, cautions or reprimands by the police.

You can charge as little or as much as you like as a tutor. Get started by advertising your services in your local area (on Gumtree, school notice boards, in the library) or you could sign up to a profession organisation who can really make you visible to students, but will take some of your earnings.

Check out Tavistock Tutors, to get started, who offer academic services. Tutors here get paid an average of £45 an hour, depending on experience. Tutors will teach anywhere from 15 to 100 hours a month, it’s really up to you how much time you want to invest.

67. Work for your university

Got an open day coming up or fancy helping out in admissions? Most universities are keen to recruit current students to help out. It’s likely you’ll get paid, it might help out with any references you might want to get once you leave and you’ll probably get a free t-shirt!

68. Take part in experiments

Dissertation term is a perfect time for moneymaking opportunities for a good cause. Many students or departments offer incentives to others to take part in dissertation projects. It’s always worth lingering around the psychology/science department notice boards, as they often need students to fill in surveys or answer questions. Some projects can take up to an hour, but you’ll be rewarded with anything from a five-pound note to gift vouchers.

69. Be a Brand Rep

Although more common in the USA, brands over here have picked up on the idea of employing students as Campus/Brand/Student Ambassadors to promote them at universities. Examples of companies doing this in the UK are Microsoft, Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg, and many more. You’ll get a salary, normally based on the number of people who sign up to their careers newsletter, and other perks including training and promo material.

70. Go freelance

Freelance jobs are readily available on the Internet; see sites like Elance and Fiverr. The types of work involve everything from translation to blogging, from basic research tasks to complex computer programming or app development. You need to make yourself a profile listing your skills and then employers will either approach you or you can apply for jobs that take your fancy. The employer will then pay straight into your online account from which you can then withdraw at any time.

71. Be a halls representative

Most halls reps get a big chunk of their accommodation fees sliced away (or some even get to stay for free). You'll speak on behalf of your hall with the Students' Union, organise events and make changes ensure the students in your halls are having the best time possible. If you don’t like the sound of telling drunk people to be quiet at four in the morning – maybe a halls rep isn’t the job for you…

72. Be a TV extra

Ever fancied having a walk-on role in Eastenders or Corrie? It’s possible! Agencies for extras work like temping agencies, so you can join as many as you like.But be wary, as there are lots of agencies out there guaranteeing you a role; make sure you don’t part with your cash to get the job.

Basic rates start from around £80-100 per day – not bad, especially if you get to cuddle up to Danny Dyer in the Queen Vic. That’s just to be in the background, if you’re words you’re pay is likely to double. See 2020 Casting, The Casting Collective and Ray Knight Casting.

73. Babysit

If you haven’t forced your neighbours to move away because of all your house parties, you’re not trying hard enough… But seriously, if you’re close to the residents you could offer to be a babysitter. Advertise in local post-offices or on Gumtree and it’s probably worth getting a DBS check to put the parents mind more at ease. First Aid skills could also be a bonus. Set your own fees or leave it to the parents, many may feel guilty for overrunning in the evenings and leave you a big tip!

74. Dog Walk

Another good way to make a pound is offering to walk your neighbour’s dog. If its owners are out 9-5 you could offer a lunchtime walk, it’ll probably be fun for you too. You can get £10-15 per dog per hour (around London) – so get more than one going. National guidelines suggest that six is the maximum number of dogs you should be able to handle at one time (we’d have loved to have seen that test), but start slow until you know what you’re doing.

You can do it alone by posting flyers to your neighbours, or advertise on the local park notice board, in the vets or online, try Gumtree, Tailster and Borrow my doggy. Or you could join an agency, but it’s likely it’ll charge you to be on its books, or take a cut of the wages.

75. Go busking

But please, only do it you’ve got the talent. And watch out for the council, you might need permission to start rocking out in certain spots. Some councils and railways stations require you to audition before they grant you a licence – so get practicing!

Earnings can vary from not a lot to £20+ an hour – but remember you do have to pay tax on these earnings if you reach the £10,600 threshold. If you plan on selling your CDs while you busk you’ll need to pay for a Street Trader’s License from you local authority.

76. Go to Summer camp

Fancy getting out the country for the summer and trying something new? A Summer Camp is a fantastic experience and a decent money maker. Check out sites like Camp America, you’ll need references and to apply pretty far in advance, but we’ve heard rave reviews from friends and students who have gone. Most make friends for life and it’s a great experience to write about on your CV or talk about in interviews. Dread those questions about teamwork in lengthy grad scheme applications? This is your answer.

77. Perform challenges

Lots of apps and websites now exist that ask people to perform certain challenges, including: taking photos of supermarket prices, or uploading an image of a restaurant’s price list. Check out Street Spotr and Street Bees to get started. You won’t get paid much to begin with, around £3 for a few minutes work, but the more challenges you complete the more you’ll be invited to, which is where the money starts to add up. A keen user could easily turn over £30 in a few days.

78. Give city tours

If you’re an expert in the town you live in, why not show tourists around and earn a few quid? This is great as it's applicable to lots living outside London. Huge University towns like York, Leicester and Warwick have rich historical routes. Plus, hopefully you’ll get lots of tips.

79. Help your mates get jobs

If you’ve got a job, even if it’s just part-time, why not try and recommend a friend. Many companies have referral fees; even if they don’t advertise them it’s worth asking. You'll have a new work mate and some extra cash - win, win.

80. Write music reviews

Love or hate a new track? Tell the world and get paid for it. Websites like Slice the Pie let you preview tracks or adverts before they’ve been released for a small fee. You’ll need to listen to the track for at least 90 seconds, mark it out of 10 and write a review. This type of moneymaking is time consuming and doesn’t turn around much compensation, it’s likely you’ll only be paid a few pence per review, but if it’s something you enjoy doing anyway, why not?

81. Take part in clinical trials

This one is erring on the slightly more dangerous side of making money. Make sure you do your research and don’t sign anything you’re not totally confident about. We can’t accept any responsibility if you turn green!

See the UK Clinical Trials Gateway to get started. This is an opportunity to take part in something that can actually make a difference to the medical world.

82. Join the Army or Navy reserves

It’s probably worth mentioning this straight off the bat – there is a chance that you could go to war. So think long and hard about this one before signing up as it is a serious commitment.

To join the Army or Navy reserves you don’t need any formal qualifications (unless you’re applying for a more technical role). It’s a really good opportunity to hone your knowledge alongside your work or studying. You’ll get paid £395 (tax-free!) in your first year and learn a heap of new skills – you’ll get around £9,000 worth of training in your first year alone.

The Army reserves requires a commitment of 27 days in your first year, including some evenings, weekends and a two week training camp abroad.

83. Join a focus group

Get paid for your opinion, and we know students have plenty of them! Anything from political to reviewing household products, there’s something out there for anyone. Try Research Opinions to get started.

84. Become a session musician

Or set up a band with your mates and offer to play local pubs and clubs. If you’ve got the talent, why not make some money on top? It helps if you play a slightly more obscure instrument; we know someone in a brass/jazz group who was in the studio with Plan B. As well as paying well it’s also an awesome story to tell your friends.

This is a very difficult industry to break into, but find the right act and you could be whisked around the world to join them on their tour. We’d recommend starting with your own contacts; do you know someone that knows someone? Don’t worry if you don’t, there are other ways in. Make yourself known to the recording studios or local venues. You never know who might pick up your demo.

Payment is very difficult to determine, it depends entirely on each circumstance. It’s unlikely you’ll see any royalties, so make sure you think the price is fair before you sign a contract. Then again, if it’s something you enjoy doing, it might be worth agreeing to the lower priced gigs to gain some exposure.

85. Negotiate a pay rise

If you’ve got a decent job already and think it’s about time you’re paid more, be bold and ask for a raise.

Here are a couple of our quick tips:

1)Timing – this is essential. Has the boss seen you waltzing into work 20 minutes late this morning? Today is not the day. Most organisations hold salary reviews once, or twice a year. If you can hold out to this point then go for it.

2)Find out your worth – look online to see how much similar roles are paying. If you can’t ask your co-workers what they’re bringing home then look at sites like Glassdoor, these show what thousands are earning across the nation.

3)Be eloquent – don’t shy away from this opportunity. Be clear and bold. Have your points written out and think through them carefully. What do you bring to the table? What makes you a valuable asset to your team? Is there anything you’re doing especially well? Make sure you’re ready.

4)Don’t threaten to quit – in most circumstances this won’t go well. As soon as you hint this is on the cards you’ll be considered a lost cause. Unless you are actually going to quit, in which case, what’s to lose?

86. Dumpster dive (ask permission of course!)

“Skip diving”, “binning”, this activity has lots of different names, but the premise is the same: dig around in bins to find treasures.

Here’s the thing – you can’t just break into car parks or sheds and help yourself. That’s trespassing and theft, which is against the law. Always ask permission if you’re unsure. If it’s in the street however, it’s fair game – unless someone’s clearly moving house!

It’s probably best to do it in pairs – hanging around in alleys by yourself isn’t really safe and it’ll be good to have a mate to help carry things. Make sure you’ve got the right kit too. You’ll need clothes that you don’t mind getting grubby (you are jumping in bins after-all), gloves and it might be worth bringing along a torch.

87. Become an Amazon Associate

Just like sponsored tweeting, becoming an Amazon Associate is quick and easy, but you’ll need a decent following. Choose from the million products available on Amazon and post links on your site, if someone clicks through and makes a purchase you’ll be given up to 10% of the price.

88. Be a model

Abercrombie & Fitch might have recently scrapped having models standing at the entrance to each store, but you could still try out at a local agency.

There are two options here; ‘big’ modelling agencies looking for the tall and beautiful, see Select and Models 1 and character modelling sites, which are looking for something a little bit different, see the Anti Agency.

Many of these agencies find their models on the streets. Have you ever been approached and handed a card to come in for some headshots? Exciting stuff. But, there’s also a slightly more dangerous side to this beautiful life. There are so many stories of aspiring Cara Delevingne’s handing over cash for look-books that never materialise. It’s a difficult industry to break into, so make sure you’re careful with who you’re dealing with. Heading to a meeting or for some test shots? Take a friend along or at least make sure someone knows where you are, just to be safe.

89. Become an Avon lady

Represent your area by delivering Avon booklets. This one requires quite a bit of work, you’ll have to deliver the booklets, then go and pick them up again to collect orders. You’re also in charge of deliveries as well, so if you’re likely to get bored of it quickly - it’s probably not for you.

This is perfect for those struggling with cash at university. Most, lucky, students will have a few days or afternoons off a week, so why not make use of that time and deliver brochures round your area? You’ll get paid a commission of 25% of all the products you sell. This is perfect for those who enjoy flexible working hours and working for yourself.

91. Try freebie trading

Remember the man who swapped a paperclip for a house - that could be you! Start small and even if you don't end up with a car, it's still a great story to tell your mates down at the pub. See if you can swap a paperclip for a pint!

92. Work as a virtual call centre agent

Why not work part time in a local call centre to earn money? There are a huge amount of options out there for you, whether you fancy the more interesting chats, ahem phone sex line, or just dealing with customer complaints for a business. It could be fun and you might be able to read your university notes between calls.

Most centres have their own script, which you can read from, so no need to get worried about seriously learning your stuff. It will give you great transferrable skills, like patience (a LOT of patience), working well under pressure and improving your communication.

There are hundreds of call centres out there and they’re not all based in Newcastle (even if it might seem like it). They range from the obvious telecommunication companies, to other more exciting roles like working for the Walt Disney Company. Rates might be dependent on commission; how many calls you answer, problems solved etc. But most start from above minimum wage.

93. Play a game of Trollottery

If your halls are near any big supermarkets why not try out a game of Trollottery? It’s very simple. Check out the trolleys in the car park for abandoned £1 coins. You might just get lucky. We’d recommend the really big superstores with huge car parks. If people have parked far away from the store, they’re much less likely to want to take their trolley back – abandoning those precious one-pound coins!

94. Join an Erasmus program

Most universities offer an Erasmus program that allows students to study or volunteer abroad. You can also receive grants to do this, so while it’s not quite a free holiday, it’s not too bad.

There are Erasmus links with hundreds of Universities across Europe, even if you don’t necessarily speak the language. This is a brilliant way to boost your CV and the chance to learn or hone your language skills.

95. Be a life model

Disclaimer: you need to be naked, totally naked. And there will be lots of strangers staring at every nook and cranny of your body. You’ll need to be ‘on display’ to the room for a few hours as they draw you. But the pay is decent; we found it varies between £8-14 an hour, depending on where you are (Londoners will be paid more). You don’t need to be in tip-top shape, it’s probably better if you aren’t. Register at Artists’ Models.

96. Answer text messages for money

Students are always on their phones, so why not get paid whilst you’re tapping away? ChaCha is a service that let’s people answer text messages to random, and we mean random, questions and you’ll be paid 15p per answer. You’ll be helping out others and it doesn’t require too much effort.

97. Make cash playing video games

Have you got skills on an XBOX that would make a 14-year-old boy envious? Well then, use ‘em to make cash.

It’s possible to make cash in a few different ways. YouTube sensation PewDiePie rose to fame (and fortune) by posting videos of himself simply playing games. There’s a lot of competition online, so unless you hit it big like PewDiePie, it’s unlikely you can turn make this your sole income. Why not try writing a walkthrough for a game you know inside out and publish it for free on kindles.

98. Be an amateur Paparazzo

Find you’re always spotting celebs out and about? Why not send any snaps you’ve got to national newspapers. Some pictures will be more valuable than others. Zayn Malik reuniting outside the studio with the rest of the One Direction boys is probably worth a lot, whereas Peter Andre buying milk probably isn’t.

99. Try things out before they hit the shelves

Sites like BzzAgent and Tesco Orchard are all online services that allow you to share your opinions about certain products, which they send to you. They’re free to join, and ask you fill in surveys to assess your tastes and interests. Then the excitement begins – you’ll be sent products to test.

But don’t get too excited. There’s a chance you won’t be picked to try products – BzzAgent has 1 million signed up to its service already. But if you do, get stuck in; the more tasks you complete and provide feedback on it, the more products you’ll be sent. You will need to provide feedback that’s considered good enough to the website, so don’t think you can get away with one line on what you thought!

The Boring Bit

SMS wants to help you live the life you want on the budget you're stuck with but we aren't the Economic Bible, so please don't take our word as gospel as we can't accept any liability if our tips aren't right for you – everyone's different, after all.

We read our links before posting them but we aren't responsible for their content.

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